The Black Lotus Wife Forces Me to Pretend to Be an Omega. - Chapter 57

The largest mall in Hucheng.

Luo Xiaoxiao watched helplessly as the young lady swiftly paid for her purchases.

“Young lady, there’s no need for this,” Luo Xiaoxiao protested. Why did Lu Yu also think she liked wearing dresses?

Lu Yu held up a long white dress against Luo Xiaoxiao, comparing it. “I think this one looks nice.”

“Actress Li, what do you think?” Lu Yu turned to Li Fanshuang beside her.

Li Fanshuang frowned and shook her head. “The dress is too long—it doesn’t suit her.”

Her wife’s legs were the most beautiful.

Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

As she spoke, she felt a pang of resentment. That damn Li Fanshuang—didn’t she know Luo Xiaoxiao hated dresses?

Li Fanshuang raised an eyebrow, a belated rebellious streak surfacing in the thirty-year-old woman. She pointed at the other short skirts in the store. “I think she’d look much better in these.”

Lu Yu nodded and turned to the sales assistant. “These—all of them, in this young lady’s size, delivered to the Lu residence.”

“Understood, Miss Lu.”

Luo Xiaoxiao glanced at the sales assistant’s face. Ugh, your smile is practically dripping onto the floor.

“I don’t want them!” Luo Xiaoxiao wanted to keep refusing, but before she could get another word out, Lu Yu waved her hand toward another rack.

“Wrap these up too.”

Luo Xiaoxiao fell silent this time. These were all items she had just been eyeing.

“Of course.”

“Fancy running into the Lu family’s young lady here.”

Luo Xiaoxiao’s brows twitched slightly. The passive-aggressive tone in this woman’s voice was even stronger than Yuan Zhiqing’s had been.

The woman sauntered over, swaying her hips. She wore a mermaid-cut dress with a white fox fur coat draped over her shoulders.

Luo Xiaoxiao gave her extravagant outfit a disdainful glance. Yep, definitely giving off that fox-spirit vibe.

“Lü Qingcha, what are you doing here?” Lu Yu shot her a glare, then seemed to regret even speaking to her, waving a hand dismissively. “Never mind, I won’t stoop to your level.”

Luo Xiaoxiao leaned in and whispered to Lu Yu, “Who’s that?”

“Yuyu!”

Before Lu Yu could answer, a bright male voice rang out.

Luo Xiaoxiao turned to see a fair-skinned young man approaching. He stood around six feet tall, his slender frame wrapped in a well-tailored suit.

“Tch, a scrawny mutt,” Luo Xiaoxiao muttered. Though she didn’t know who he was, his appearance alone rubbed her the wrong way.

Based on past experience, guys like this always had cunning faces—one wrong move, and you’d fall right into their trap.

“Listen,” Luo Xiaoxiao whispered into Li Fanshuang’s ear, “this guy’s definitely a gold-digger.”

Lü Qingcha shot Luo Xiaoxiao a cold glance, taking in the girl’s lack of high-end clothing. A mocking smile curled her lips. “I must say, Miss Lu’s taste in friends is rather lacking. Not only is she gossipy, but she’s also broke.”

“So what if I’m broke?” Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed, her gaze sweeping over Lü Qingcha. “Auntie, you don’t exactly look like you come from a decent family either. Compared to you, sure, I’m poor—but at least I’m not like you.”

“How is it different?” Lü Qingcha arrogantly adjusted her newly styled hair. She wasn’t angry at being called “auntie” by the young girl—in fact, she was delighted the girl had called her poor.

Luo Xiaoxiao shrugged. “I earn my money standing up, while you do it lying down. Our working positions are different—yours is just a high-paying job.”

Lü Qingcha’s expression remained unchanged, but Lu Ling beside her darkened. He turned to Lu Yu. “Yuyu, is this your friend? Don’t associate with her anymore. How could she speak to my mother like that?”

Lu Yu pointed at her own nose, staring at Lu Ling in disbelief. “Who the hell are you? Since when do you get to dictate who I hang out with?”

Lu Ling took Lü Qingcha’s arm. “This is my mother. Don’t forget, you’re about to marry me. If you keep acting this spoiled, how are you going to survive in my household?”

Luo Xiaoxiao and Li Fanshuang exchanged glances, both looking sympathetically at Zhu Yuxin, who had stayed silent the whole time.

Poor Zhu Yuxin—having to compete with this thing for affection. Just thinking about it was nauseating.

Zhu Yuxin didn’t even spare Lu Ling a glance, her gaze fixed solely on Lu Yu.

Lu Yu didn’t so much as look at Lu Ling, instead turning to a nearby sales assistant. “Remember to have the shoes delivered as well.”

“Of course, Miss Lu.”

Seeing that Lu Yu had no intention of acknowledging her or her son, Lü Qingcha’s face finally twisted.

“Lu Yu, what exactly do you think you’re doing? Have you forgotten that this marriage was arranged by your father? What, are you planning to defy him now?”

For the first time, Lü Qingcha showed panic. What was going on? Wasn’t Lu Yu supposed to be completely obedient to her son?

What was Fu Xinting playing at? Couldn’t she even handle something this simple?

Lu Ling, still stubborn, scoffed at Lu Yu. “Listen here, Lu Yu. If you don’t make your friend apologize to my mother, I won’t marry you.”

Luo Xiaoxiao clutched her head. Was she hallucinating? How else could she be stuck in such a brain-dead drama?

Wasn’t this straight-up insane?

Was this guy mentally ill?

Initially, Luo Xiaoxiao had held back out of respect for Lu Yu.

But Li Fanshuang wasn’t about to let her wife be insulted. She shot Lü Qingcha a cold glare. “What year’s Biluochun are you? The stench is overwhelming.”

“You—” Lü Qingcha immediately caught the insult, but the moment she recognized Li Fanshuang’s face, she forced herself to calm down.

“Ah, Actress Li! I didn’t realize this was…”

Before she could finish, Li Fanshuang cut her off, stepping beside Luo Xiaoxiao and taking her hand. “This is my wife.”

“Oh, I see…” Lü Qingcha gave Luo Xiaoxiao a meaningful look before forcing a laugh. “Just a misunderstanding, then.”

“You just said I had no taste and called me poor?” Luo Xiaoxiao said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, wishing more people were around to witness this.

Unfortunately, this mall was membership-based, and this floor had even fewer customers.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Lu Ling snapped, but Luo Xiaoxiao cut him off before he could continue.

“And who the hell are you?” Luo Xiaoxiao shot back with a cold laugh.

Lu Ling pointed at Luo Xiaoxiao, “You’re just an Omega. Li Fanshuang may dote on you today, but tomorrow—”

“Shut your mouth already. I don’t know where you get all this superiority from after blabbering nonsense.” Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed.

Strangely enough, Lu Ling, who had been rambling nonstop, actually closed his mouth after Luo Xiaoxiao spoke.

Li Fanshuang: So this is how it works?

Luo Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow—well, well, who knew her special ability could be this strong?

She planted her hands on her hips, gearing up for a verbal onslaught. “I give you an inch, and you take a mile. Who do you think you are? I’m your damn grandma!”

“Actress Li, isn’t your wife being a bit too rude?” Lü Qingcha’s expression darkened.

Luo Xiaoxiao pointed at her nose. “You shut up too. Do you really think our Yuyu wants anything to do with you people? Calling me poor and trashy? Look at your son’s name—Lu Ling? As in ‘spare change’? Now that’s what I call trashy!”

For the first time, Lü Qingcha was left speechless by a young girl, stammering “you… you…” without managing a coherent sentence.

“‘You’ what?” Luo Xiaoxiao sneered, crossing her arms. “Your son’s name and face scream ‘bottom energy.’ Why bother with women? Men are his true destiny. Or are you planning to marry him off just to breed grandsons?”

“Of course!” As if triggered, Lu Ling suddenly found his voice again. “Our family needs an Alpha heir! What kind of Alpha is a female Alpha anyway!?”

Luo Xiaoxiao tsked twice, glancing at Lu Yu. “See this? And you actually considered marrying into this circus? Are you joking?”

“I never said I would marry into their family,” Lu Yu replied, rubbing her throbbing temples.

Zhu Yuxin silently gave Luo Xiaoxiao a thumbs-up in her mind—for the first time, she didn’t find Luo Xiaoxiao’s mouth so annoying.

“See?” Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed disdainfully. “Mr. Lu Ling, why don’t you and mommy dearest scurry home before you embarrass yourselves further? Or better yet—since you’re so obsessed with sons, why not get yourself a boyfriend? That way your mom gets two sons for the price of one!”

“Damn it!” Lü Qingcha finally snapped, her years of refined “green tea” persona cracking for the first time. “Where the hell did you crawl out from? You’re just a shampoo girl! What gives you the right—”

Luo Xiaoxiao smirked in disgust. “Yep, I massage people standing up. You do it lying down.”

Unbelievable—this woman didn’t even bother to fact-check before attacking someone’s profession?

Luo Xiaoxiao found it pathetic. This “green tea” act was amateurish compared to her past rivals. At least those opponents opened with solid hits—accusing her of being unworthy or attacking their fans. Now that was high-level scheming.

“Yuyu, say something!” Desperate, Lu Ling moved to grab Lu Yu’s hand.

Before his fingers could touch Lu Yu’s sleeve, Zhu Yuxin seized his wrist—with a sickening crack, Lu Ling’s hand was broken.

Lu Yu was finally pleased. This mute had been dawdling for so long before finally making a move.

“I thought you were going to stay silent forever?” Lu Yu said with a smile.

Zhu Yuxin cast a cold glance at Lu Ling, who was lying on the ground wailing incessantly. “I didn’t want to intervene initially.”

Luo Xiaoxiao shook her head repeatedly as she looked at Lu Ling’s wrist. “Already scrawny as it is, that hit probably dislocated it.”

“What?!” Lü Qingcha hurried over to check her son’s injury. Seeing Lu Ling’s wrist swollen badly, she pointed at Zhu Yuxin angrily. “This isn’t over! How dare a mere servant hurt my son! I’ll make sure you pay with your life!”

“Oh dear, little maid, what are you going to do now? Seems like you’ve gotten yourself into trouble?” Lu Yu’s voice was sweet and coquettish as she playfully poked Zhu Yuxin’s shoulder. Her gaze was innocent yet seemed to coax Zhu Yuxin into saying those words—”Please help me.”

However, the young mistress’s scheme was doomed to fail.

Zhu Yuxin looked down coldly at the two on the ground. “You two disgust me beyond measure. But don’t worry, I won’t die. I’ll soon receive your family’s letter of forgiveness, and your injuries at most will only be minor.”

Lü Qingcha was puzzled. What did she mean by “your family”? Only Lu Ling was injured right now.

“I’ll never give you any forgiveness letter! You can rot in jail for this!”

No sooner had she spoken than Zhu Yuxin’s fist connected with Lü Qingcha’s face.

“So it was you who persuaded Yuyu to marry Lu Ling?”

“You…” Lü Qingcha was dazed by the punch and instinctively recoiled, eyeing Zhu Yuxin warily. “Who are you? What right do you have to meddle in our family affairs?!”

Lü Qingcha shouted furiously, but Zhu Yuxin had no intention of humoring her with an answer.

“Are you all blind?!” Lu Ling bellowed at the people behind him.

Several black-clad bodyguards rushed over and surrounded Zhu Yuxin.

Zhu Yuxin clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked at Luo Xiaoxiao impatiently. “Aren’t you going to help me?”

Luo Xiaoxiao clung to Li Fanshuang’s arm. “Wifey, I’m scared.”

Li Fanshuang pulled her aside to watch the show. “We’re not getting involved.”

Luo Xiaoxiao stuck her tongue out at Zhu Yuxin. “Boss, you can’t just treat me like a workhorse like this.”

“Fifty thousand,” Zhu Yuxin said coldly.

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed. She’d just received five million—she wasn’t lacking that measly sum.

“One hundred thousand per intervention.”

“Oh, better not. You know how heavy-handed I can be,” Luo Xiaoxiao demurred.

The bodyguards burst into laughter at her words.

The burly leader pointed at Luo Xiaoxiao. “You? Heavy-handed? A tiny Omega like you? I could take you down with one hand.”

Luo Xiaoxiao snorted and gave him a frosty glare. Her piercing eyes were sharper than a bone-scraping blade, sending chills down their spines.

“Boss, this chick seems a bit off…” one of the underlings whispered to the leader.

The leader smacked him on the head. “Nonsense! She’s just a little Omega.”

Luo Xiaoxiao spread her hands, showing no intention to fight. What a joke—if she really made a move, these guys wouldn’t even qualify as appetizers.

Seeing Luo Xiaoxiao had no intention of intervening, Lu Yu stepped forward and took Zhu Yuxin’s arm.

“See? Isn’t this just asking for trouble?”

“How was I supposed to know there are still people in Hucheng blind enough to mess with you?” Zhu Yuxin chuckled.

That much was true—Zhu Yuxin had never expected things to escalate like this.

Besides, Lu Ling and Lü Qingcha were just as abnormal as Old Yu.

What sane person would say something like, “You must bear a son”?

Especially a woman like Lü Qingcha.

Over a decade ago, she had only managed to enter the Lu family by getting pregnant first. Back then, Lu Ting had no idea whether she was carrying a son or a daughter.

In the end, as Luo Xiaoxiao had just pointed out, Lü Qingcha’s real talent lay in her ability to perform in bed—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to push aside a woman like Gu Yuyin and become Mrs. Lu herself.

So no matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem like the type to be this stupid.

Luo Xiaoxiao yawned. “Aren’t your bodyguards downstairs, Young Miss? If you don’t call them up soon, they’ll end up beating your wife.”

“You’re Zhu Yuxin?!” Lu Ling roared.

Here we go.

Luo Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow—that feeling again. Lu Ling was like a switch had been flipped, his emotions shifting at breakneck speed, rivaling even Li Fanshuang’s acting skills.

The pain had kept him relatively calm earlier, but now? He’d gone completely mad.

“Kill her! Now!” Lu Ling pointed at Zhu Yuxin.

The bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances. Did their employer just order a murder?

Wasn’t that illegal?

The nearby sales assistant, horrified, immediately pointed at the surveillance cameras overhead. “Don’t even think about it! This place is covered in cameras!”

“Ridiculous!” Lu Ling sneered, now completely ignoring the pain in his wrist. “I’ll take full responsibility. I refuse to believe there’s anyone in Hucheng the Lu family can’t touch—”

SMACK!

A sharp slap rang out.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock. No one had expected this—yet here it was, unfolding right before them.

Lu Ling clutched his face, staring in disbelief at the lead bodyguard. “I pay you, and you dare hit me?!”

“Hmph.” The bodyguard scoffed, looking at Lu Ling with disdain. “You think your money’s worth killing for? Do you even realize this is a crime? You legal disaster—we quit!”

Lu Ling’s hand trembled as he pointed at the man’s face. “You bastard! I’ll make sure you never work in this industry again!”

“Work for me instead.” Zhu Yuxin stood and handed the bodyguard a business card. “Zhu Yuxin of Jincheng. Welcome to my security team.”

The lead bodyguard eyed the card coldly, not immediately taking it.

One of his subordinates leaned in. “Boss, Zero’s right. If we piss him off, we might really be blacklisted.”

“Considering it… wouldn’t hurt.” He finally accepted the card.

Zhu Yuxin gestured toward Lu Ling. “Then consider this your first job. Throw him out.”

“Not happening.” The bodyguard snorted, righteous indignation in his voice. “He was my former employer. Even if I don’t work for him anymore, there’s still loyalty—”

Zhu Yuxin pulled out a check and held it in front of him. “Five hundred thousand.”

The bodyguards bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle to Zhu Yuxin, accepting the check with both hands. “Your wish is our lifelong pursuit. Rest assured, Huang Chengcheng will accomplish the mission without fail.”

Huang Chengcheng? Luo Xiaoxiao curled her lips. That name sounded downright shady.

Just as Huang Chengcheng was about to throw Lu Ling out, the elevator dinged open—revealing Fu Xinting walking out at the perfect moment, accompanied by someone familiar.

“Holy sh1t.” Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened at the sight of Fu Xinting’s arm linked with Lu Chenfeng’s.

Li Fanshuang frowned at Lu Chenfeng, her gaze questioning: Are you being forced?

Pretending not to notice their expressions, Lu Chenfeng released Fu Xinting’s hand and approached Li Fanshuang. “Shuangshuang.”

Li Fanshuang startled at the gentle tone—what kind of development was this?

Luo Xiaoxiao stepped between them. “Who are you calling? Where’s your wife?”

“What wife?” Lu Chenfeng shot Luo Xiaoxiao a cold glance. “Remove your hand. Don’t touch Shuangshuang.”

Chaos. Absolute chaos!

Luo Xiaoxiao’s heart sank—was Lu Chenfeng showing interest in Li Fanshuang again?

Zhu Yuxin and Lu Yu froze at the scene.

Zhu Yuxin spoke first. “Are you sick? Where’s Yuan Zhiqing?”

At the name, Lu Chenfeng’s expression twisted slightly in pain.

Luo Xiaoxiao: Did we just trigger some keyword?

The characters seemed glitched—what was happening now?

Grabbing Li Fanshuang’s wrist, Luo Xiaoxiao’s heart pounded wildly. There’s no such thing as predetermined plot.

Li Fanshuang wouldn’t become a puppet controlled by narrative forces.

“Ouch.” Li Fanshuang winced at the tight grip. “Ease up—that hurts.”

Loosening her hold slightly, Luo Xiaoxiao noted Li Fanshuang’s normal tone—the so-called plot influence hadn’t reached her yet.

Lu Chenfeng met Li Fanshuang’s gaze, eyes brimming with complicated emotions.

Li Fanshuang instantly understood—she was faking it.

Poking Luo Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, she guided her hand to cover her own mouth and whispered, “She’s acting.”

Luo Xiaoxiao nearly gasped aloud—no wonder Li Fanshuang had muffled her. Did Lu Chenfeng already know about the plot? That their world was just a novel?

Not daring to voice this, Luo Xiaoxiao quietly retreated.

“Shuangshuang, come back with me. If you need a wife… you could choose me.”

That was the last straw for Li Fanshu—but Lu Yu exploded first. “You scum! Have you forgotten Yuan Zhiqing?”

Ignoring Lu Yu completely—per the plot, she wasn’t even a main character—Lu Chenfeng remained focused.

“Shut it, Lu Yu!” Lu Ling stood abruptly, his demeanor completely altered.

Luo Xiaoxiao inhaled sharply—he looked like a kindergarten bully whose mom just showed up.

Now she understood—the Lu family rode their system’s coattails effortlessly.

Lu Yu blinked dazedly, then turned to Zhu Yuxin. “Who… are you?”

With that, she abruptly shook off Zhu Yuxin’s hand.

Luo Xiaoxiao raised her hand and cried out, “Young Mistress! What are you doing? She’s your devoted wife! You must stay rational!”

“Lu Yu, calm down. Don’t blame everything on Zhu Yuxin.”

Lu Yu froze, looking blankly at her hands. What was happening to her?

As her thoughts settled, she grabbed Zhu Yuxin’s hand. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I know.” Zhu Yuxin squeezed her hand in return. Just moments ago, she too had felt that strange daze.

She suspected that whatever Lu Chenfeng was hiding must be related to that eerie sensation. If not for Li Fanshuang’s voice snapping her out of it, she would have been completely lost.

Noticing the exchange, Fu Xinting stepped forward with a smile.

“Shuangshuang-jie, it’s so nice to see you here. But why are you in Hucheng? I thought filming wasn’t over yet?”

There was something indescribable lurking in Fu Xinting’s eyes, unsettling enough to make one’s mind waver.

Fu Xinting: This time, Li Fanshuang won’t escape. The system placed the Confusion Card in my eyes—she just needs to look into them.

Indeed, Li Fanshuang saw her eyes and heard that bizarre inner monologue.

A crimson glow shimmered in Fu Xinting’s gaze, mesmerizing to anyone who saw it.

Li Fanshuang took a few steps closer, staring straight into her eyes. “Fu Xinting, pinkeye is still an illness. You should get that checked.”

Luo Xiaoxiao covered her mouth—her wife’s tongue was as sharp as ever.

The way Fu Xinting had looked at her was practically seductive, yet Li Fanshuang responded with nothing but disdain.

Sniffling, Luo Xiaoxiao moved to Li Fanshuang’s side and clung to her arm. “Wifey, does Teacher Fu dislike me? Did I offend her somehow before?”

“Probably not.” Li Fanshuang patted her head, patiently reassuring her. “I don’t even have any connection with her.”

“What about Lu Chenfeng? Why does she look at you like you’re her ex-wife? Did you marry before?”

“Impossible!” Li Fanshuang’s voice rose sharply.

Fu Xinting’s expression remained unchanged.

Fu Xinting: System, scan Luo Xiaoxiao’s gender. Confirm if she’s an Alpha.

System: Understood.

Li Fanshuang’s heart sank—but it was already too late.

Ding-dong—

An electronic tone echoed in Luo Xiaoxiao’s mind.

System: Scan complete.

Luo Xiaoxiao: Why the hell are you scanning me?